Jiang Chen was instantly struck with astonishment, staring at the statue in shock. At this moment, the surface of the statue was veiled in a faint halo of light, lending it an air of mystery. Its dignified aspect carried an aura of majesty, allowing one to vaguely perceive the bearing of an ancient Divine Sovereign.
"Senior… are you the Glazed Great Sovereign?" Jiang Chen asked in surprise.
"Heh heh, it is indeed this old man. Young man — what is your name? Where do you come from? Do you carry any karma from past or present lives?" The statue actually spoke, and its voice was vivid and lifelike, making it nearly impossible to tell whether it was real or illusion.
Jiang Chen was utterly startled. He fixed his gaze intently upon the statue, and suddenly, realization dawned in his heart. This was a divine sense manifestation — the Glazed Great Sovereign must have left a wisp of divine consciousness upon this statue in the ancient era, allowing it to manifest a divine presence.
"This junior is Jiang Chen. This junior pays respect to the Great Sovereign," Jiang Chen said with the utmost reverence.
As for the Great Divine Sovereign — whether it was his cultivation, his character, or his moral bearing, all of it commanded Jiang Chen's deepest admiration.
"Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen…" The Great Divine Sovereign sighed softly. "Those who come are all fated to arrive. That you were able to pass through the Six Palaces of Inheritance and reach this place — this old man is gratified indeed."
"I believe Tianze has already explained most things to you quite clearly. This old man's divine sense is limited, so I shall not say too much. I only wish to know — has the Demon Calamity erupted once more in the present day?"
Jiang Chen was taken aback. "Senior Xia Tianze is your subordinate. Could you not hear our conversation in the Sixth Palace?"
The Great Divine Sovereign sighed. "This divine sense manifestation is limited in duration. Had you not entered the Glazed Palace, this wisp of consciousness would never have been activated. And once activated, the time remaining before my final wisp of divine sense perishes grows short."
Jiang Chen was shocked. "Then… wouldn't that make this junior the one who caused your demise?"
The Great Divine Sovereign smiled faintly, his expression filled with a look of serene acceptance and enlightenment. "You are mistaken. The one who killed this old man is neither you nor the demon race — it was simply my fate to face this tribulation in this lifetime. What brings me comfort is that before my death, I managed to temporarily quell the Demon Calamity. In doing so, I did not live my life in vain."
From the Great Divine Sovereign's tone, it was clear he had long since come to terms with this matter and harbored no grief over death and parting. A true senior of the highest caliber — his equanimity was genuine.
Jiang Chen straightened with deep respect. "Senior's moral character and bearing are truly something for all future generations to admire."
"Ha ha, this old man didn't wait for you to deliver flattery. Young man — tell me, what is the current state of the human domain? Let me see whether the decision I made back then was truly worth it."
The decision to seal the spirit veins and seal away the doctrines of the great leading factions — whether that choice would ultimately lead the human domain toward ruin or salvation, even the Glazed Great Sovereign himself had never been certain.
And so, what he wished to know most was the current condition of the human domain.
Jiang Chen did not conceal anything. He recounted the state of the human domain in full detail, point by point — and as he spoke, he was even more thorough than he had been when telling the story to Xia Tianze.
"Senior, when I first heard from Senior Tianze that this was a deliberate choice by you and the other seniors, I initially misunderstood. I felt that a few of you might have been acting out of self-interest. But after traveling all this way and reflecting carefully, I came to realize that your decision was truly far-sighted and visionary. Otherwise, given the human race's tendency toward disunity, without a few far-sighted seniors to keep things in order during times of peace, humanity would inevitably have descended into endless internal strife and chaos."
This was not empty flattery on Jiang Chen's part. He had genuinely given the matter serious thought. It could be said that when it came to internal infighting, no race could rival the human race.
From the Eastern Kingdom, to the Sixteen Kingdom Alliance, to the Dan Qian Palace in the Myriad Phenomena Domain — it seemed as though between every great power, there was an endless stream of conflict and intrigue.